My group, Cody and myself, chose the spot that we did because we saw many odd environmental factors there. An isolated stream cut off from the ocean that is also constantly under fire from human populations in the area seemed like an extremely alluring project to our eyes. With this type of activity in the area we are studying, we get to watch and understand how our lifestyles as humans may affect the flora and fauna around us. Due to it being cut off from the ocean by a wall of sand, and disconnected from the currents that would normally renew the water, the water in this stream has become stagnant-a mardi gras for bacterial and fungal organisms. And so, with this information in hand, we can observe this unique and exotic environment within an environment go to work.
While observing the organisms in the stream on our first day, we have seen many forms of predation. The stream has an extroadinarily large talapia population, and with this great amount, Pigeons and other such birds are attracted to the area. We also noticed a few ducks as well feeding on the fish. The fish, although being eaten by the birds, seem to be attracted to them for some reason. Maybe the Talapia have become suicidal, but perhaps they get nutrients from the droppings of these birds (I'm not sure, it's just a hypothesis). The Talapia in this stream feed on the algae and fungi underneath the bridge and around the stream. As we went onto the bridge to observe from a higher plane, we noticed that underneath the bridge, the fungi and algae thrived, and the water was so murky that you could not see anything in it. The plant life of the area included Pine, Naupaka, and of course, the Palm trees with coconuts. The Pine trees grew on the left and right banks of the stream, whereas the naupaka covered the sandy parts right next to the bridge. The Palm trees were everywhere, but especially on the side closest to the street.
On my second trip to this ecosystem, I noticed that the fish never moved much and the water looked MUCH murkier, and there were less and less birds around. My partner has informed me that we will probably be trying to check the dissolved Oxygen and pH levels in various parts of the water, and see if perhaps the algae and fungi are causing the murkiness of the water. I started my experiment, which was to see which part of the stream had more life; the upper or lower part. Personally, I thought that the lower stream had far more life because of the abundance of algae. I counted the fish, and for that day, it seemed I was correct.
We went for a third and final time on the Sunday right before Final Exams, and there was an extremely large storm the night before. Branches and fish were scattered everywhere, and the packages and styrofoam from people in the area all flew into the stream, making it even more polluted. The water's average color that day was brown, despite every other time before, it varied between green, brown, and clear. I also conducted my experiment a 2nd time, and got the same results.
My group, Cody and myself, chose the spot that we did because we saw many odd environmental factors there. An isolated stream cut off from the ocean that is also constantly under fire from human populations in the area seemed like an extremely alluring project to our eyes. With this type of activity in the area we are studying, we get to watch and understand how our lifestyles as humans may affect the flora and fauna around us. Due to it being cut off from the ocean by a wall of sand, and disconnected from the currents that would normally renew the water, the water in this stream has become stagnant-a mardi gras for bacterial and fungal organisms. And so, with this information in hand, we can observe this unique and exotic environment within an environment go to work.
While observing the organisms in the stream on our first day, we have seen many forms of predation. The stream has an extroadinarily large talapia population, and with this great amount, Pigeons and other such birds are attracted to the area. We also noticed a few ducks as well feeding on the fish. The fish, although being eaten by the birds, seem to be attracted to them for some reason. Maybe the Talapia have become suicidal, but perhaps they get nutrients from the droppings of these birds (I'm not sure, it's just a hypothesis). The Talapia in this stream feed on the algae and fungi underneath the bridge and around the stream. As we went onto the bridge to observe from a higher plane, we noticed that underneath the bridge, the fungi and algae thrived, and the water was so murky that you could not see anything in it. The plant life of the area included Pine, Naupaka, and of course, the Palm trees with coconuts. The Pine trees grew on the left and right banks of the stream, whereas the naupaka covered the sandy parts right next to the bridge. The Palm trees were everywhere, but especially on the side closest to the street.
On my second trip to this ecosystem, I noticed that the fish never moved much and the water looked MUCH murkier, and there were less and less birds around. My partner has informed me that we will probably be trying to check the dissolved Oxygen and pH levels in various parts of the water, and see if perhaps the algae and fungi are causing the murkiness of the water. I started my experiment, which was to see which part of the stream had more life; the upper or lower part. Personally, I thought that the lower stream had far more life because of the abundance of algae. I counted the fish, and for that day, it seemed I was correct.
We went for a third and final time on the Sunday right before Final Exams, and there was an extremely large storm the night before. Branches and fish were scattered everywhere, and the packages and styrofoam from people in the area all flew into the stream, making it even more polluted. The water's average color that day was brown, despite every other time before, it varied between green, brown, and clear. I also conducted my experiment a 2nd time, and got the same results.